Anberlin – Varsity Theater – Minneapolis MN – June 28th 2019

After a five year disbandment, Anberlin created a reunion tour that came to a sold out Varsity Theater in Minneapolis on June 28th, 2019. 

I The Mighty, from San Francisco, Ca, was the single opening act for Anberlin on this tour. As everyone jam-packed into Varsity, I The Mighty certainly got the crowd energized for the evening. The group is a mix of alternative and progressive rock. They have named Coheed and Cambria as one of their musical influences, which can be heard throughout their music. Satori, their major label debut album peaked at number 10 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart. 

As everyone fills the remaining gaps in Varsity, some start chanting ‘Anberlin’ as they wait impatiently for them to take stage, for perhaps the last time in Minnesota. You can feel the anticipation from everyone in the room. I’ve been listening to Anberlin since they released their first album, Blueprints for the Black Market in 2003, so I was just as excited as everyone else in the room. I think the last time I saw them was sometime in the early 2000’s or 2010’s at Warped Tour, in which I was exceedingly impressed by their performance. Anberlin is most definitely a group of guys that were born to perform. They put their heart and soul into their music and show it through performance and the way they interact with the fans. With the release of Anberlin’s second album, ‘Never Take Friendship Personal’, it put them on the charts, being at number 144 on the Billboard 200, in which personally is one of my favorite Anberlin records. The group played a diverse mix of all their albums and hits throughout the night. In which you could see that it was bringing members of the audience back to 15 years ago when the band first started and the nostalgia that Anberlin brought with them. In 2014 the band announced that they would be disbanding after the release of their seventh, and final, studio album, ‘Lowborn’. I was saddened hearing the news of their break-up because they have always been one of my favorites to see live. So hearing the news of their reunion tour I was ecstatic, knowing I would be hopefully seeing them one last time so I embraced every second of watching them, knowing that. They without doubt did not disappoint. Everyone one in the crowd was singing at the top of their lungs and jumping/dancing around. As I stated, every member of the group was meant to be a performer, just eventually it ends for some at points in their lives, they gave their heart into this performance and you could feel it. In front of me was a young girl and her parents, it was her first concert ever, and what a great concert to state was your first, mine happened to be N’sync (though it was great). I would glance and see her singing to every word; she was also holding a sign that said, “This is my first concert”. The band eventually noticed and dedicated one of their songs to her. As well as inviting her and her parents back stage to meet the band. The look of excitement on her face was priceless. Anberlin is one of those bands that will always care about their fans, young or old, new or long-time fan; they will always show you how much they care. Which is incredible because not a lot of bands that have been around as long as them are consistently like that. I left the show with a bittersweet feeling, sad just because it was most likely the last time I would ever see them, but so happy because it was an amazing show and everyone leaving the show had smiles on their faces. Thank you Anberlin for your years of incredible entertainment and dedication to your fans, I am forever grateful. 

Review and photos by Kaila Turck